I had a serious light-bulb moment the other day while, of all things, PLAYING THE SIMS 4…

Have you ever played it? If not, let me clue you in.

The Sims is all about simulating life. So, your sim (the little person on the screen that you control) goes to work, forms relationships, and pursues hobbies. And you play to move up the ranks in different categories — like to reach level 10 of the scientist career or become an expert in gardening. The higher you get, the more you can do in the game.

Now, there are certain things you can do to make sure your sim is killin’ it in all these categories.

For instance, my sim works as a newspaper reporter. If I make sure she goes to work “focused” instead of “playful” or “sad,” she advances faster in her career. Makes sense.

Before she goes out on a date, she needs to feel “social.”

When she’s headed to the gym, she should already be “energized.”

If I want her to succeed in a certain hobby, she needs to be “inspired” before diving in.

You get the idea.

So…

As the person in control, you direct your lil sim to do whatever it is for them that will flip on the correct emotion.
Before work…read a book.

Before a date…talk on the phone.

Before the gym…take a cold shower.

Before gardening…research plants online.

See where this is going?

While directing my sim to pick out a book to read before she headed to work, I realized…
I could do the same thing!

When my brain is going a million places at once, and I can’t focus on a project that requires some super single-tasking; instead of taking a break that involves MULTI-TASKING (like playing on the internet or tidying up the kitchen while listening to the news), why not pick up a book and read a chapter? When you’re reading, you really can’t do anything else.

And I’ll tell you, dear reader. I tried it and it works.

I’m ready and FOCUSED for the work that lies ahead.

And it’s worked in other aspects, too. Morning phone/skype meetings are definitely not my jam. But if I make an effort to do something else social…even if that’s just chatting with a barista…before I hop on the line, I’m much more in the head space for being outgoing.

While applying this sim-hack might not be quite as easy in the real world, (afterall, I can’t just click a mouse and feel happy!) it really boils down to taking a moment to check in with yourself.

To ask…

What will I need to make this next task a success?

How can I create that for myself instead of looking for it in an external source?

What makes me feel happy/social/productive/zen/inspired/creative?

And then HOOKING YOURSELF UP!

Give it a try some time and let me know how it goes! xoxo